Mount or case for natural-history specimens.



No. 67l,396. a tented Apr. 2, 90b;

n. r. usav.

IOUNT UR CASE FOR NATURAL HISTURY SPECIMENS.

(Application filed May 12, 1900.1

' (No Model.)

55 J .50 J Z Q h 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. LIBBY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOUNT OR CASE FOR NATURAL-HISTORY SPECIMENS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 671,396. dated April 2, 1901.

Application filed May 12,1900. Serial No. 16,405. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. LIB'BY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of 80s ton, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Mounts or Cases for Natu ral-History S pecimens,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,isaspeciflcation, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the pro duction of an effective convenient mount or case for the support and preservation of various objects or specimens of natural history whereby the same can be readily examined and referred to and which can be produced at a low cost.

Various devices have been proposed for mounting natural history specimens, on which the specimens are supported and protected by a covering of glass; but such mounts are very heavy and are very expensive to manufacture, so far as I am aware, so that their use has been limited principallyto large institutions and museums. A mount more particularly devised for entomological specimens comprises a slab or backing having a depression for the body of the specimen and a transparent covering; but such mounts are not adapted for mounting general specimens or objects of natural history. By my present invention, however, I provide a cheap, attractive, and efiective mount which is adapted for practically all kinds of natural-history objects or specimens and which can be readily manufactured. This mount is adapted for securing and preserving dried specimens of the most delicate grasses, litchens, and mosses, the specimens being held in place on the bottom or sides of the mount by wiring, or in other manner if too fragile for wiring, as Will be described.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mount or case embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective detail, partly broken out, of one corner of the mount.

The mount embodying my invention consists, essentially, of a back or bottom to support the object, raised walls surrounding said back and butted against the edges thereof,

means to hold said back and walls securely together, a transparent top plate supported on the walls, and a seal which retains the plate in position and also prevents access of air and moisture to theinteriorof the mount, the whole forming when complete a box-like case. I prefer to make the back or bottom a of plaster-of-paris or other suitable cheap plastic material, formed into a slab of suitable thicknesssay from one-fourth to threeeighths of an inch in thickuessand preferably rectangular in shape. Narrower slabs or strips 1) of similar material and the same thickness are cut to suitable length and butted against the edges of the back and against each other, as shown in the drawings. A sheet of cloth, stout paper, or other suitable flexible fabric a is cemented to the under surface of the back and brought up against the external faces of the Walls, as at c, and preferably overlapped at the corners, as at 0 Fig. 3, which as the cement dries tightly binds the back and walls firmly together, the binder being trimmed off flush with the tops of the walls. Ahole a, Fig. 2, is then drilled through the back, or a plurality of holes are drilled, as may be necessary, and the specimen or specimens held in place on the upper surface of the back by line wire in loop form, as at 50. Instead of wiring the specimens, especially if they be fragile, they can be held in place by making a cavity in the bottom or wall of the mount, refilling it with soft plaster, and while the latter is plastic the specimen is pressed gently into it, so that when the plaster hardens the specimen is securely held in place. After the specimen is arranged properly a transparent plate g, Figs. 1 and 2, preferably glass, of a shape and size corresponding to the external outline of the Walls, is laid upon the tops of the latter and suitably secured in place. This is conveniently and efficiently effected by cementing a strip (1 of strong paper to the upper surface of the plate 9 and bending it down over the edges of the plate and cementing the downturned portions of the strip to the upturned parts 0 of the binder, as at 01', Figs. 1 and 2, and, if desired, the strip can be carried beneath the back and cemented, as at 01 Fig. 2. I thus obtain a tightly-closed box-like case or mount which is effectually sealed from the entrance of air or moisture, and the specimen can be preserved indefinitely and fully protected, While at all times ready for careful examination.

The mount, if the back and walls are made of plaster-of-paris, is very light, yet'strong and durable, and even when made up in large sizes can be readily handled and inspected. For this reason and also because of its cheapness and ease of manipulation I prefer to employ plaster-of-paris or some other plastic compound which when dry presents a hard and close-grainedbody. I

The back and inside surfaces of the walls may be tinted or colored, as desired, to properly or more efiectively display the specimen, and the seal forms a neat and attractive finish, serving as a frame for the transparent top plate.

The mount embodying my invention pos sesses another advantageviz., the protection of specimens against parasitic actionthat is, a small opening can be readily drilled in the back or wall and the compartment containing the specimen fumigated, after which any debris or any loose bits which may have become detached-such, for instance, as grains of earthy matter or seeds in process of growth-can be withdrawn through the hole, and the latter is then filled with soft plaster or closed by pasting a bit of paper over it.

It will be manifest that the mount herein described is thoroughly durable and will maintain its shape and integrity under all kinds of conditions to which it would be apt to be exposed, for the slab-like bottom and side walls will not shrink, swell, warp or twist, or discolor.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction herein shown and described, as the same may be varied or rearranged without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1S-

1. A case or mount for natural-history specimens and the like, comprising a rectangular flat back or bottom, upturned, separate walls 'butted against its edges and against each other, said bottom or walls being made of slabs of plastic material,a flexible binder cemented to the external faces of the bottom and walls, to securelyhold said parts together, a transparent plate forming the top of the mount and supported on the walls, and a sealing-strip cemented to the upper surface of the plate adjacent its edges and turned thereover upon the Walls and cemented in place, to hold the plate in position and seal the case from entrance of air or moisture.

2. In a sealed case or mount for natural specimens and the like, the combination with a back or bottom having an upper surface adapted to receive and support a specimen; of an inclosing and protecting box-like frame for said back or bottom, and comprising upturned sides, a transparent plate forming the top of the frame, a flexible binder secured to said frame and adapted to hold the back or bottom in place within the frame, and a sealing-strip secured to the upper surface of the transparent top at its edges and turned over upon and secured to the sides of the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY F. LIBBY.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR A. LIBBY, JOHN C. EDWARDS. 

